Strawberry Swing
by QueenTyZula
Summary: Mai and Ty Lee are on vacation, yet old thoughts threaten to ruin their time on Ember Island.


**After re-reading Smoke and Shadows for the umpteenth time, this little drabble popped in my head. I was often with questions about Ty Lee and Mai's little talk at the tea shop and the whole Kei Lo thing. So this a bit of a continuation of that. Hope you enjoy. Slowly pulling my inspiration to write again... QTZ**

If only she could get one more hour. Better yet, a full day to just lie in one place. The thought made her giggle in spite of herself. It tickled her as if a thousand red, manicured fingernails were grasping her sides. Her, Ty Lee of the Shang Clan, lying in one place longer than an hour, who could imagine such things.

Yet, this place was not like any other place. Here, lying on the sands of the popular Fire Nation resort had to be a bit like Agni's Heaven. The sun would surely give her exposed face a horrible burn along with the rest of her exposed skin as she wore barely a thing, besides the thin, white cloths covering her personals. If it was up to her, she would be completely nude and allow the sun to burn her viciously without care. Crazy much, Ty Lee could care less. The waves crashing along a prestine shoreline were hypnotizing. She could always blame the offense on them.

Vacations were a necessity to escape the insanity of palace life. Her fellow sister in arms and new leader, Suki seemed immuned to the overall dangers and eeriness that seemed to scream from the deep red walls of the palace. Of course, Ty Lee could appreciate that the new Fire Lord made his family's home a little less foreboding, just a little.

After weeks of begging her only best friend, Mai finally indulged her and they set off for the quaint island to join others on the beach with nothing, but the sun, ocean and skies separating them from their homeland. Of course, Mai was the worst person to take on vacation, but nowadays Ty Lee was limited in options, a thought that sometimes brought tears, but she fought them this time.

Speaking of Mai, Ty Lee opened one of her eyelids to peer over at her friend licking a strawberry ice cream under the protective shade of an umbrella with ever careful precision as she did in all things. Even with the changes that occured in their friendship, the future fire lady was still nothing if not full of class. Ty Lee's polar opposite in most things.

"What is it, Ty Lee?" She asked, making the acrobat jump up onto her elbows. With a smirk, she cut her eyes in Ty Lee's direction.

Caught off guard as she was, Ty Lee spoke honestly and quickly. "I wish she was here".

Though it seemed slower than usual, Mai did not hesitate to catch the meaning behind Ty Lee's words. She knew exactly the _she _that Ty Lee was referring to.

Mai's lips twisted and seemed to peel back inhumanely as she growled, "What?"

Even the acrobat was taken aback at her honesty. No she wasn't a conscious, habitual liar, but she rarely let on her exact thoughts to anyone, even in peaceful times such as these. Before she recover, Mai had stood to her feet, thankfully she was absent her signature knives as she only sported a black swimsuit, which Ty Lee was eternally grateful for.

"What did you say?" She repeated clearly and louder as if Ty Lee was deaf or dumb. "You can't possibly mean that. What the hell is wrong with you?" Ty Lee sighed softly, looking to her naked feet.

When she saw the look on her companion's face, Mai sighed as well.

"Come here," heard Ty Lee, who jerked her head to see a sympathetic Mai with her arms outstretched.

Cautiously she stood, sand stuck all over the back of her body, and embraced the woman tightly. That was when the tears fell. The same tears that she had held during the entire fiasco with the fake Kemurikage. It had been the first time she had seen Azula in over a year and they had fought yet again. Azula had even gotten the upper hand and landed slap across Ty Lee's facethat left her red, sore and heartbroken for days.

She had held it all in until now. Here she was, holding her best friend, allowing the tears to swell and fall the taller girl's chest. Here, on vacation, a time that she could finally be relaxed and think about nothing, she was sobbing over her first love and first heartbreak.

Soft sighs escaped along with sniffles. Mai heaved against her cheek, never understanding just how close her childhood friends were. Ty Lee knew she would never understand the feelings that she held even if she was bold enough to tell them. Just as Mai could not understand why she had become so angry about the knife-wielder using her ex, Kei Lo and leading him on. She could never understand how it felt to have such feelings for someone who may never return them.


End file.
